Florida Post-Hurricane Checklist: Claims, Contractors, Gouging and Aid

The Florida Attorney General advises having the insurance company evaluate the damage before arranging repairs, to ensure the work will be covered under the policy (Attorney General).

The same guidance advises getting at least three written, itemized estimates or bids (Attorney General). FEMA states that its Individuals and Households Program is not a substitute for insurance and cannot compensate for all losses caused by a disaster (FEMA).

Sources by row: DFS Division of Consumer Services; DFS mediation; DBPR; Attorney General; FEMA IHP.

Under Florida law, a new or reopened property claim is barred unless notice reaches the insurer within 1 year after the date of loss, and a supplemental claim within 18 months (section 627.70132).

For hurricane claims the statute fixes the date of loss as the date the hurricane made landfall in Florida. The same section pauses the limits for a named insured servicemember deployed to a combat zone or combat support posting, and gives condominium loss assessment claims a separate rule: the later of 1 year after the loss or 90 days after the association votes the assessment, but no later than 3 years (section 627.70132).

Section 627.70131 sets the insurer's side of the timeline once a Florida claim is filed. The table lists the deadlines as the statute states them (section 627.70131, F.S.).

Source for every row: section 627.70131. The statute also requires the adjuster who inspects the property to give the policyholder a document with his or her name and state adjuster license number.

The Florida Department of Financial Services runs a residential property mediation program for disputes of $500 or more after the deductible, with the insurer paying the $350 cost (DFS Mediation and Neutral Evaluation).

DFS describes mediation as an informal, non-binding, pre-appraisal and pre-suit conference with a certified neutral mediator, covering damage to a house, dwelling, mobile home or condominium. The dispute must be over what caused the damage or over the amount offered for repairs, and the conference is to occur within 21 calendar days of the mediator's assignment (DFS mediation).

DFS lists what to bring: the policy, photographs, estimates, bills, reports and letters, with specific dollar estimates or quotes for every item in dispute. All policyholders named on the policy must attend. A settlement reached in Florida mediation can be rescinded within three business days, as long as the check has not been cashed and the company is told. A policyholder who fails to appear pays the $350 cost of rescheduling (DFS mediation).

The same DFS page cautions about an assignment of benefits: once signed, it transfers the claim rights to a third party, which may then file the claim, decide repairs and collect payment, and depending on its wording the policyholder may lose the right to mediate or to make decisions about the claim. The Division of Consumer Services takes Florida insurance questions at (850) 413-3089 (DFS mediation; DFS Division of Consumer Services).

The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation tells storm-damaged homeowners to verify a contractor's license, report unlicensed contractors and use the Disaster Contractors Network to find Florida-licensed contractors by county (DBPR emergency information).

DBPR's license search works by name or license number, and its Customer Contact Center at 2601 Blair Stone Road, Tallahassee, answers at (850) 487-1395 (DBPR home page). The Attorney General adds that a contractor may also hold a license from a county construction licensing board, and lists further checks: references, proof of insurance, bonding, and releases of liens from all subcontractors before final payments (Attorney General).

The Attorney General's guidance cites two Florida requirements. A contractor who collects more than 10 percent of the contract up front must apply for a permit within 30 days and start work within 90 days, and the contract must include the buyer's right to cancel within 3 days. The office also advises never paying the full amount up front (Attorney General).

After Hurricane Isaias, DBPR Emergency Order 2026-01, as amended by Emergency Order 2026-02, lets certified or registered general, building and residential contractors do roofing repair or installation without subcontracting it, in the counties the order lists, from Baker to Washington, including Hillsborough, Leon and Pinellas (30 counties in a count of the DBPR list). The order treats non-permanent emergency tarps as exempt under section 489.103(6), Florida Statutes, and states that local permit and inspection ordinances still apply (DBPR emergency information).

Florida's price gouging law, enacted after Hurricane Andrew in 1992, bans unconscionable price increases on essential commodities once the governor declares a state of emergency (Florida Attorney General).

The Attorney General lists lumber, ice, water, chemicals, generators, shelter and other necessary goods and services as covered, and says raising hotel rental rates or housing lease rates is also unlawful. The office compares the price during the emergency with the average price over the 30 days before it; a gross disparity is price gouging unless the seller shows higher supply costs or market trends. Non-essential luxury goods such as alcoholic beverages and cigarettes are outside the statute (Attorney General).

Civil penalties are $1,000 per violation, up to $25,000 for multiple violations in a single 24-hour period. Reports go to the Florida Attorney General online or toll-free at 1-866-9-NO-SCAM, unlicensed contractors to DBPR at 1-866-532-1440, and complaints to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which the Attorney General names as the state's consumer complaint clearinghouse (Attorney General).

FEMA's Individuals and Households Program helps eligible households affected by a disaster with uninsured or under-insured necessary expenses and serious needs, and the OpenFEMA rows for the Florida Hurricane Isaias declaration show it not declared as of October 18, 2026 (FEMA IHP; OpenFEMA declarations, Florida).

The FEMA program page cited throughout this Florida checklist lists what IHP assistance may include: funds for temporary housing such as rental assistance or hotel reimbursement, repair or replacement of an owner-occupied primary residence, a temporary housing unit, if approved for the disaster, when rental assistance cannot be used for lack of available housing, hazard mitigation help to rebuild stronger, and other uninsured or under-insured disaster-caused expenses and serious needs. It can be applied for online, by phone or in person (FEMA IHP).

The OpenFEMA rows fetched for this page show emergency declaration EM-3655-FL, titled Hurricane Isaias with the incident type listed as Tropical Storm, declared October 9, 2026, for Florida counties including Leon and Santa Rosa, with Public Assistance declared and the Individuals and Households Program not declared (OpenFEMA). The Florida Division of Emergency Management lists a Governor's release announcing that Florida requests approval for a Major Disaster Declaration following Hurricane Isaias (FDEM Emergency Info). The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation posted a data call notice for Hurricane Isaias catastrophe claims reporting on October 12, 2026 (Florida OIR).

One caution on the state's own page: the FDEM Emergency Info page fetched for this guide is headed Emergency Information For Ian and still carries Hurricane Ian recovery content, including a Red Cross notice for homes damaged by Hurricane Ian in September 2022. One item on it says displaced residents who file a postal change of address should keep the damaged dwelling address on FEMA applications, because changing it to a non-damaged dwelling may make the applicant ineligible (FDEM Emergency Info).

Last verified: October 18, 2026, with sections 627.70131 and 627.70132 of the Florida Statutes, the DFS consumer and mediation pages, the DBPR emergency and license pages, the Attorney General's price gouging guidance, FEMA's program page and Florida declaration rows, the FDEM Emergency Info page and the OIR home page all re-read that day.